“You will love this read and be looking forward to the next book in the series and, thankfully, you get a brief intro into what will be coming next!” – San Francisco Book Review on Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1

The following work contains descriptive material and scenes of explicit sexual encounters between consenting male and female adults. It is intended for adult readers only.

When Priana Grey walks into a bank, she isn’t expecting to be taken hostage by a violent thief; nor, is she expecting Detective Joe Cafaris to offer his life for hers. The stepdaughter of fallen angels of the Sanctum, she has concealed her true nature to move among humans for years, but Joe’s courage astounds her. Although she knows that falling in love with a human is a disaster, she just can’t ignore what she feels.

Joe is a tough loner, cool in the most dangerous situations, but he’s not ready for the scorching desire he feels for Priana. He has a million logical reasons to walk away, but his heart wants something else.

Priana’s stepbrother, Keirc, warns that she’ll find only misery with Joe, yet he guards a perilous secret of his own. His lover, Iridea, is the daughter of Sebastien Galaurus, a ruthless vampire who leads the Demesne, a powerful supernatural haven quite unlike the Sanctum.

When a stunning crisis forces Priana into the heart of the Demesne, a maelstrom explodes in the shadow of supernatural havens on the brink of war, where fallen angels, vampires, weres and daemons call the shots and humans are viewed as critically frail – a place where men and supernaturals can die.

This ebook contains an excerpt from Chapter One of Sanctum Warriors: Shadow Havens Book 2.

Sanctum Angels is a truly original take on the paranormal romance genre. The mixture of angel/vamps and daemon/vamps gave a new dimension to my favorite genre. Black did a wonderful job creating great characters and a fast action packed story line. I was drawn in from the first sentence and found it difficult to put this book down through the first few chapters.

This is one of the few books I have read where there are two love stories happening at the same time. It was intriguing although there were a few lags in the story during transitions but Black quickly righted it and the plot continued to draw me in.

This series guarantees to keep the readers enthralled and wanting to see what will happen next. Definitely a series not to miss.

Review by Julia for ILVN

Bite Rating

————————————————————————————————–

Excerpt from the Prologue of Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1

All rights reserved.

Ilea picked up the skirting of her gown and rushed through the richly carpeted halls of the elaborate underground Demesne haven she’d shared with her Mate for centuries. By the time she reached Sebastien’s study, her flaming hair had come undone from its tight chignon and her face had grown hot. Saan was dying and a tiny thought she’d kept buried for the past two nights would find Sebastien’s ear whether he wished to hear or not. Drawing breath, Ilea whipped the black double doors nearly from their hinges to stride to the dark, massive desk in front of her Mate. A small group of the Demesne’s vampire warriors were with him but they stepped swiftly from her path.

“Leave us,” she ordered.

The warriors of the Demesne were unused to taking orders from their leader’s Mate, whom they rarely saw, but left after Sebastien gave them a fast nod. Hearing his Mate’s pounding heart, Sebastien sat quickly, as if the air had been knocked from his lungs. “Has our son passed?” he asked quietly.

“He lives but he may well pass before the morning unless something is done,” Ilea gripped the edge of the desk and leaned over it, into her husband’s perfectly sculpted face.

“Call your brother at the Sanctum and seek his advice,” she commanded. “Ask him to send one of the angelic healers. It is the only thing that can save our son.”

Sebastien had thought this might be requested of him, but he had also expected Saan to recover, having his mother’s daemon blood and his own vampiric blood.

“Andrieu is not my brother. I cannot contact anyone at the Sanctum,” he said.

Ilea pulled her hand back and brought it forward in a mind-numbingly fast arc to connect with Sebastien’s jaw. Her Mate’s head bounced backward against the high back of his carved chair, yet he didn’t lift a hand. “You could not have heard what I asked,” Ilea said. “Call Andrieu and ask…no, Sebastien …beg him to send an angelic healer. Tonight.” Ilea’s eyes were changing to the silver swirls associated with strong emotion among daemons. “Do it,” she hissed.

Excerpt from Chapter One of Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1

All rights reserved.

Pria heard a sharp intake of breath next to her that alarmed her more than removing her red dress, which was little more than a long tee shirt. She whipped the dress over her head and kicked her flip flops to the center of the floor. Down to her slip, she glanced at the girl, who was sliding a pair of cut offs down thin, tan legs. She wore a simple pink top with buttons and white cotton panties. Her fingers fluttered over the shirt’s buttons, unable to make herself undo them.

“Honey…” Pria whispered.

“I’m not wearing a bra,” the girl hissed, in a panicky voice.

“It’ll be okay. Keep the shirt on. Just don’t say a word, no matter what.”

In a moment, the thief’s eye came to rest on the girl, as the other hostages continued disrobing. He strode forward until he was inches of her face.

“Get your shirt off, bitch!” he screamed.

The girls squeezed her eyes closed as if to protect herself from his fury. She turned her head away, expecting to be hit.

Pria noted the thief’s hot breath and dirty, blond hair. His pale skin was specked with acne scarring. Spittle gathered at the corners of his thin lips.

Pria’s hand flew upward in front of the man’s face. “She won’t run,” she said firmly. “That’s why you want us to take our shoes and clothes off…so we won’t run for the door. She won’t run.”

The gunman looked down at Pria, as if aware of her for the first time.

Excerpt from Chapter One of Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1

All rights reserved.

Joe tossed his cell on the floor and fell backward on the bed. His head still hurt and his stomach hadn’t seen food for a few hours, but he couldn’t shake the image of Pria curled up in the hospital bed. She’d looked angelic, with her hair spread out over the pillow. Her skin, almost translucent, with long dark lashes against her cheeks. So, how come a stepbrother showed up to take her home and not a boyfriend or a husband, he wondered. A woman like that had a man somewhere. She’d shown a lot of courage under pressure and he’d seen plenty of situations where people snapped and made things worse without meaning to. Now, it was all about damage control because she’d been wounded by a cop. Yet, the stepbrother had said everything was cool. “Cool, my ass,” he muttered, not really going for it. And, now, he was the guy assigned to smooth things with her and prevent a bunch of shit from going down in the local papers. Or a stampede of lawyers. “Great,” he muttered, unbuttoning his shirt. Still, he couldn’t help but look forward to seeing her again. He wanted answers to a lot of questions, but he really wanted to see her again. Maybe she wasn’t really as hot as he’d remembered. Or maybe she was.

The series, beginning with Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1, takes readers into a world that is comprised of two supernatural havens and a city, all of which are relatively close to each other. The geography makes it inevitable that supernaturals – vampires, fallen angels, weres and daemons – will interact with the human population of the city. The relationships, both loving and adversarial, revolve around what happens with these characters. There are vampires who are good guys and others who are bad guys. The same is true for the other supernatural characters and the humans.

So, it’s not about humans versus the vamps or weres or other supernaturals. It’s about haven alliances and how humans are viewed in these supernatural communities. Sebastien Galaurus, for example, is the powerful, vampiric leader of the Demesne and views humans as inferior prey, while the fallen angels of the Sanctum, Miriel and Andrieu Grey, take a very different view. Naturally, there are going to be major conflicts, lives on the line and deep passion when so much is at risk.

How long have you been writing and what inspired you to do it?

I started writing stories for school assignments and personal pleasure at a very young age, because I enjoyed the creative process. I still do. I look at people and situations, wondering how things could be different, which leads to ideas for plot and characters.

Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book 1 was born on a long car trip. It was rainy and rather foggy. When we’d stopped, I noticed a unique group of buildings that were a distance from the highway. I wondered what they could be, because they were unusual and there was nothing around them. That’s when the idea for a supernatural haven got rolling, which led me to think about who might live there. Who would they love? What would their challenges be? Sanctum Angels and the ebooks that follow answer those questions… and more. I’m currently at work on Sanctum Renaissance: Shadow Havens Book 6.

What do you think causes people’s enduring fascination with vampires?

The fascination is very enduring, isn’t it? I think many find vampires dangerous, but they’re also sensuous and exotic. It’s like looking into the flame of a candle, knowing that if it’s handled in the wrong way, it could burn the house down. Since vampires are fictitious, we can turn them into all we want them to be… charming anomalies with golden hearts or killers with ice in their chests. They have gifts and abilities some of us would want, like immortality, wealth or mind-numbing beauty. The darker aspect is that some are portrayed as cold-hearted killers, so there’s an interesting flip side. They are a double-edged sword, killers or benevolent guardians, depending on the interpretation you’re reading or seeing on a big screen. That’s seductive power, yet there are so many ways to look at the vampire myth.

What are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?

My Familiar Stranger – Romancing the Vampire Hunters (Black Swan 1) by Victoria Danann and, yes, I would recommend it. I have just started reading, but I’m enjoying the story and the world.

The vampires are attacking! Grab the first thing you see to your right and hit them with it! What was it? And how do you think you did in the ensuing fight?

The first thing I grabbed was a lamp, which wasn’t very helpful… but the knife in my boot made a lasting impression on Monsieur Vamp. Too bad he wasn’t a new character for me to write about. We could have talked things over before the furniture started flying!

The aforementioned vampire attack didn’t go so well and you were bitten by the vampire…now what?

I was disarmed and bitten? Damn! I’d need to look for a blood bank and establish an account of some kind. Then, I’d start lining up contractors to create the most luxurious underground abode ever seen… and an underground, heated pool… and a lot of space for a plush library and …. Well, you get the idea!

In the event of a zombie apocalypse what item would you make sure that you took with you to your underground safety bunker? (we will presume that your family are already safely in the bunker!)

Since my loved ones are already in the safety of that luxurious bunker I built during the last question, I’d grab bottled water, medical supplies and as many guns and melee weapons – swords and clubs – as I could carry. Hell, even a mop could work, right? Also, chocolate… yeah… lots of chocolate.

You are planning an awesome dinner party. Which 3 celebrities/fictional characters/historical figures (past or present) would you add to your guest list?

I’d include my characters, but the guests I’d love to add to the list would be Anne Rice, J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon and all of their characters. It’d really be a hell of a party! Imagine the menu!

Can you give us five random facts about yourself?

I like to cook, when I have enough time to explore different food combinations. My favorite color is red. I’ve convinced myself that chocolate is good for me. I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve spent about fifteen to twenty minutes reading and I sleep best with a few books beside the bed. I love a sunny day at the beach, but my favorite weather for writing is gray, cool and rainy.

Where can readers find your books?

Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony and the eBookIt.com Bookstore. At my website –www.edenmaryblack.com – readers can find buy links for each of the ebooks for those online etailers as well as the Prologue and first chapter of Sanctum Angels: Shadow Havens Book1 and the rest of the ebooks in the series.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you! It’s great to be able to let paranormal romance fans know how incredibly appreciative I am for their readership and reviews. When I am writing, I’m really in my own fictional world, but it’s wonderful to invite others into that realm, to join me for the ride.